The Academy
by ssbailey
Summary: AU. The FBI Academy has trained the best of the best, including two of the most unlikely room mates--JJ and Morgan. Set before season one. Co-written with KDZL. No ships, at least not for right now.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: We don't own Criminal Minds.**

**A/N: So here's our newest story. It's definitely AU, and set before season one—all the way back to when JJ and Morgan went through the Academy.**

**Chapter One**

"Jennifer Jareau, Melissa Daniels, and Stephanie Morrison I need to see you immediately", Mabel Johnson announced. She had been in charge of getting the FBI's newest recruits settled into their dorms at the Academy for the last fifteen years, and was well known around Quantico as 'Mama Johnson'. Once all three wide-eyed women were standing in front of her, she continued, "Well ladies, it seems that one of you is going to have to room with one of the boys since there can only be two people per room--any takers?"

Noticing the two women next to her look at each other anxiously, JJ spoke up, "I'll do it. I have two older brothers and all male cousins--I'm used to it."

"Thank you Ms. Jareau" Mabel smiled, she could always tell who were going to be the best agents and this Jennifer Jareau was already at the top of her list. "You'll be rooming with Derek Morgan--Room 223. Ms. Daniels and Ms. Morrison, you'll be across the hall in Room 224."

Walking into the room she would be staying in for the next few months JJ smiled as she dumped her belongings on the bed. She had done it. She had gotten into the Academy and though she wasn't entirely sure that this wasn't some glorified attempt at rebellion against her parents, she knew it was the right choice.

"Dang, girl, you look smokin'." A deep voice from behind caused her to turn around. "Don't tell me, you're my--"

"Roommate." JJ smiled, "Jennifer Jareau. I usually go by Jen."

"Nuh uh, you aren't a Jen. No way." Morgan disagreed, "What did you say your last name was again?"

"Jareau." JJ informed, trying to keep herself from groaning out loud at this guy's antics--was he seriously about to tell her that her name wasn't her name?

"JJ, then. I'm going to call you JJ." Morgan decided, holding out his hand for her to shake, "I'm--"

"You're Derek Morgan." JJ grumbled, unpacking her small amount of clothes that she had brought from home--if they were going to give her clothes to wear during the Academy she wasn't going to bring extras, that would just take up space.

"So you've heard of me?" Morgan grinned cockily. "I mean I know I'm good, but I've only been here two hours."

"You mean have I heard that you have an ego the size of France?" JJ retorted, "Yeah, everybody's talking about it."

Morgan chuckled, this girl could hold her own. "Well at least they're still talking."

JJ smiled, "Whatever helps you sleep at night." Truthfully, she thought having Derek Morgan as a roommate could be a lot of fun. He was just the type of person that she tended to get along with well. "So where did you go to college?"

"Northwestern, I got both my BA in Psychology and my law degree there." Morgan answered, plopping himself down on JJ's bed without warning. "Then I joined the Chicago PD for a few years and now here I am. What about you Miss Thing?"

"I went to Pittsburgh for two years on a sports scholarship and was completely miserable, so one day I decided to apply to my dream school--Georgetown--and if I got in, I'd go no matter what. The next month I got my acceptance letter, and now I've got my BA in Communications and my Master's in Public Relations, _and _$60,000 in student loans. But it was worth it, it got me here." JJ explained, "Any idea what unit you want to get into? You seem like a White Collar Crime kinda guy."

"White Collar Crime? You wound me." Morgan gasped in mock horror, then started laughing, "I actually want to be in the BAU, but since _everyone _wants to be in the BAU right now, I'm going try for the Bomb Squad and go from there. I guess you want to be in the Media Liaison Department right?"

"Not really." JJ blurted, surprising even herself, "I mean if that's where they want me to go then fine, but I want to try something new. I mean I hate to bust your bubble, but not _everyone _wants to be in the BAU--some of us want to join the Organized Crime Unit."

"Oh, your one of _those_ people." Morgan said in mock disgust.

"What do you mean 'those people'?" JJ asked, a little offended.

"The type of people who are content jockeying a desk job for the rest of your life. No glamour, no guts."

"Al Capone was plenty glamorous." JJ defended. "Have you never seen an episode of 'The Sopranos'? Yeah, that's what I thought." JJ suddenly felt a bit childish, but she sincerely wanted to stick her tongue out at the man in front of her.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night." He mimicked. "Seriously Barbie, I thought you'd be a little more hard core than that."

"Organized Crime is hard core." JJ sighed, in truth, it wasn't like she hadn't thought about the BAU. The only reason she was here right now was a profiler helped her decide that she wanted to feel rewarded in what she did. But the BAU got hundreds of applicants each year, and Derek Morgan seemed just like the type they'd take. If she had no shot at the BAU, then why not a perfectly respectable unit like Organized Crime, it wasn't like she was one of those Internal Affairs pansies.

"Organized Crime is like basketball in a football town. Its fine, but I just don't see it in you. That's all." Morgan defended, ignoring the small glare she sent him as she went to put her tooth brush in their shared bathroom.

"Alright then smarty, what unit do you see me in?" JJ challenged, sitting down beside him on her bed after she finished unpacking.

"The BAU." Morgan answered innocently, "You want to be in the BAU just as bad as I do, but you're too afraid to say so because you might not make it there."

"Wow, some profiler you're going to be." JJ teased, "You've got me pegged." In truth he did, but it's not like she was planning on admiting it to him anytime soon.

"Whatever you say." Morgan surrendered, although knowing he had been right, "So we've still got half an hour before we have to be at Orientation--what do you want to do?"

"I was really hoping to go for a run, but I don't think we have enough time." She shrugged. "What do you want to do?"

"Well I'm here and you're here..." Morgan grinned flirtatiously, "We could get to know each other a little better."

"That's it? That's the best line you've got?" JJ smirked, "My five year old nephew has better lines than that."

"I'll have you know that line has worked before, _a lot _of times before." Morgan defended.

"Well if you want to get with me you're going to have to do better than that." JJ informed, standing up. "C'mon, let's go ahead and go to the orientation. You're beloved profilers are going to be there."

"Fine" Morgan grumbled, he had never been knocked off his game before and it made him respect this girl even more--even though is was pretty frustrating, that was his best line after all. "But you're sitting by me when we get there."

"You big baby." JJ laughed. "Fine."

**A/N 2: So? How did we do? Should we continue?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: We don't own Criminal Minds.**

**A/N: Okay first we want to say thank you to everyone who reviewed (you know who you are :)) this story---thank you, thank you! Second, we have come to a decision on the whole ships matter for this story---this is going to remain a non-ship story, **_**however, **_**we are going to include some flirting and maybe a hook-up scene that ends with the two people deciding to just stay friends (and no promises that those two people are Morgan and JJ, they could be two other people we introduce later.) Anyways, thanks again for reviewing, reading, and alerting----and since I'm sure everyone is tired of reading this…here's part two!**

**Chapter 2**

Entering the large auditorium JJ moved to sit in the front, but Morgan quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her to a seat towards the back. "Come on, JJ, we're not sitting in the front."

"Why not?" She asked innocently, slightly annoyed that he had made up a nickname for it but responding anyway.

"Because, the front is for kids that think that if they sit in the front then they'll be the top of the class. The back is for the kids that really are the top of the class. Didn't you learn anything in college?"

"I graduated with a 3.8 GPA and I sat in the front for every class." JJ argued, sitting down next to her new roommate on the third from the last row. "You just wanted to sit back here to be closer to the other new female trainees."

"Don't be such a goody, goody JJ." Morgan answered, "Relax a little, it's just orientation--they aren't going to teach us yet or anything."

"Oh bite me." JJ snapped, "And they could teach us something, you never know."

"I had no idea you were into biting." Morgan grinned flirtatiously, fully expecting a witty comeback from his new friend, but JJ seemed to be too caught up at staring at the tall, dark haired man that had just entered the room. "Hello, earth to JJ. Anybody in there?"

"What?" JJ asked, startled--she didn't usually find herself immediately attracted to guys based on looks, but whoever this man was, he was the exception to the rule.

"Someone's got a crush." Morgan teased. "If I tell you he's in the BAU will that make you admit that you want to join that unit just as much as I do?"

"I do not have a crush on him, I don't even know who he is." JJ dismissed, "And how do you know he's in the BAU? Do you even know his name or are you just going to make one up so I'll cop to wanting to be in the BAU too?"

"Well played for a girl who five minutes ago was lost in translation." Morgan praised, "And yes, I know he's in the BAU because we worked a case with them when I was still on the force back in Chicago--that's what made me realize I wanted to join the FBI."

Eyeing him suspiciously, JJ conceded, "Okay, if you know him so well then what's his name?"

"Agent Aaron Hotchner, and the short guy next to him is Jason Gideon." Morgan informed proudly, "They call him Hotch, but rumor is that he just accepted a transfer to be the head of the Seattle field office in September."

"Why September?" JJ asked, there was no point in hiding her interest now--he would surely pick up on it later anyways.

"Because that's when the current guy is retiring." Morgan whispered as the Orientation got started, "Didn't they teach you how to communicate with people back at Georgetown? I got all that from the guy in the elevator with me this morning on my way to the sign in desk."

"I think communication is different than gossip." JJ retorted in a hushed whisper as she turned to listen to the handsome man leading the beginning of orientation.

"Welcome to the FBI Academy." The shorter man spoke, "I am Jason Gideon, this is Aaron Hotchner and Katie Cole of the BAU." He said quickly, obviously not comfortable with formal speech giving.

"We congratulate you on this achievement." The dark haired man, Agent Hotchner, said immediately, filling the silence.

"Today you'll be divided into six groups. Each group will tour the five major units here at Quantico, and receive all the necessary items that you'll need to complete this 21 week course, but by assigning groups and keeping only one group in a unit per time it helps prevent congestion." Katie Cole added, "We'll be splitting you by the first letter of your last name, meaning there we'll be quite a few of you in each group, but I think you're all old enough to know to stick together--this is not kindergarten and we're not going to force you to do your work and to get to your lectures on time, you have to do that for yourself. Basically we aren't going to waste your time here so please don't waste ours."

"Okay A through D, you're with Agent Duvall--you'll be going to the Internal Affairs Unit also known as the Office of Personnel Management. E through I, you're with Agent Wood--you'll be going to our Legal Affairs Unit. J through M, you're with Agent Hotchner--you're going to the Behavioral Analysis Unit. N through Q, you're with Agent Nolen--you're headed to our Forensic Sciences Unit or basically the forensics lab. R through T--you're with Agent Simpson--you're going to the Training Services Unit. And the last group, W through Z, you're with Agent Norris and you're going to the bookstore to pick up all the things you'll need while you're here." Katie continued, "You have 45 minutes per location so I suggest you use it wisely."

"Ah, so it looks like we're together again. I think this is fate JJ." Morgan smiled at her.

"Then fate is trying my patience. Do you ever stop?" JJ groaned, smiling slightly.

"No, but that's why you like me." Morgan informed, standing to join their group that was forming by the doors that led to the stairwell.

"You just keep telling yourself that." JJ rebutted, catching up to him in line. Now all she had to do was find out more about this 'Hotch' guy.

"Hey Morgan!" One of the other male trainees greeted as the semi-large group exited the stairwell, "Who's this lovely lady with you?"

"Hey Scott." Morgan said, smirking at the obvious glare on JJ's face. "This is JJ, my roommate."

Before JJ could protest, she was offered a large bear hug. JJ was from a family of all boys, this sort of physical attention was something she was not used to.

"Morgan, You lucked out man. I'm stuck with some guy who smells like fish. And here you got a fox like JJ sleeping right next to you." Scott winked at JJ who scoffed. "Maybe you'll score."

"Don't count on it." JJ retorted in disbelief.

"Yeah, the only way she'd sleep with me is if I was going to run the Seattle Field Office and I went by 'Hotch.'" Morgan teased to a mortified JJ.

JJ swatted him--lightly enough that it could still be considered playful while hard enough that she knew it hurt. "Just because I'm not a bimbo who would faint at the sight of your stunning smile..." JJ began before Morgan hooted in laughter. "What?"

"So you admit my smile is stunning. For a minute there I thought that the Derek Morgan magic had no effect on you."

"I never said it wasn't working, I only said you needed to try harder." JJ said innocently, shrugging slightly before moving to the front of the group and leaving a stunned Derek Morgan and his friend in her wake.

* * *

"This is the BAU." Agent Hotchner announced to the agents swarming around him. "Most people think that all we deal with are serial killers, but can anyone tell me some other achievements or areas that the BAU can be of help?"

The recruits went silent, while JJ looked around for someone else to answer. Realizing that no one else would, she spoke up, "The BAU helped write the CARD or Child Abduction Rapid Response Deployment plans. You also work with serial rapist cases, bombers, stalkers, and other various types of psychos."

The older agent smiled, "Very good, Agent.." He looked at her identification, "Jareau. You'd fit in well here at the BAU."

* * *

"Welcome to the Internal Affairs Unit." Agent Duvall started, leading JJ and Morgan's group through the seventh floor office space. "I know IA gets a bad reputation, but we want to ask that you all give it a fair chance."

"Someone's got a crush on Hotch..." Morgan whispered in JJ's ear, startling her as she dozed off during the Internal Affairs agent's presentation.

"I..I do not!" JJ argued, trying to keep her voice down, "I don't have a crush on him, he's just abnormally good looking. That's all."

"Sure thing, Hot Stuff" Derek chided, "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"What about you?" She turned the tables on him, "Of all of these women, surely there has to be someone that catches your eye."

"I'm looking right at her baby." He said chivalrously. JJ just smirked, "Come on, what's your type?"

"Girl is my type." Morgan informed, "I don't discriminate."

"Okay then Mr. 'girl is my type'." JJ sassed, "I'll make you a deal, first one to get a number tonight at the stupid 'get to know you' social wins something."

"Like what?" Morgan asked, intrigued, "How about if I win you have to talk to Hotch after class Monday?"

"Okay" JJ nodded, "And if I win you have to...ummm...flirt with Agent Katie Cole. Deal?"

"You're on Barbie." Morgan smiled, "but I think you have your work cut out for you."

"Actually, _Derek_," JJ said snidely, "I think you may have met your match."

"Keep telling yourself that, JJ." Morgan smirked, "Now shush, I want to hear this next presentation--it's the Forensics Lab."

* * *

Coming out of the bookstore with her arms loaded with books and her assigned clothing for the duration she would be at the Academy, JJ happened to overhear the small amount of gossiping the other two female new agents were talking about her and Morgan.

"I heard they're actually married and that's why she volunteered to be in the same room as him." The taller, brunette one whispered. "I mean most girls would want a female roommate, but not her--and you've seen how they've been acting all day, flirting with each other and all, they have to be in a relationship."

"I heard they're engaged, but they aren't telling anyone because the FBI wouldn't let them be in the same Academy class if they're a couple." The redhead informed, both of them failing to notice JJ walking by slowly.

Reaching Morgan, JJ sat her stuff down next to his on the bench nearby and leaned into his side while he talked with some of the other trainees. Morgan quickly accepted the contact, placing an arm around JJ's shoulder, but he remained slightly confused. Excusing them from the conversation after a few minutes, he quickly pulled JJ over to the side. "So what's gotten into you? I thought you said I needed to 'try harder'?"

"Well you know since we're already married, I figured what the hell." JJ teased, smirking slightly at his 'deer in the headlights' look. "Relax, _Derek. _I was just putting on a little show for my fellow female trainees over there who have themselves convinced that we are in a very committed relationship."

"You're just trying to keep me from winning the bet." Morgan realized.

"I play to win, Derek Morgan, even if that means I have to fight dirty." JJ smirked, and then put on her best cultured voice, "Now husband of mine, could you please carry my things? It's just too much for a little helpless girl like me."

"Helpless? Yeah right." Morgan grumbled as he grabbed the various items in her arms and added them to his own.

* * *

"Hey how do I look?" JJ asked later that night as she came out of the bathroom. She really hadn't planned on dressing up for this 'get to know you' social tonight, but after her bet with Morgan she had to step up her game a little--so she did her best with the half hour they had to get ready before they needed to be there.

"Not bad for one of the boys." Morgan teased, but in reality JJ was the best looking woman he had seen all day, and seeing her dressed up like this wasn't helping him in his decision to not think about his roommate like _that._

"One of the boys? _Please_." JJ answered, slipping on her shoes--a pair of black flip flops with beads on the straps--further proof she really hadn't planned on dressing up. "We'll see how much I look like _one of the boys _when we get downstairs. By the way, do you think when you decided to wear cologne that you could have kept from bathing in it?"

"Oh, someone is feeling feisty today? What, you trying to throw me off my A-game?" Morgan laughed. JJ could diss how he smelled all day long, it wouldn't stop the other female trainees from falling victim to the 'Derek Morgan Magic.'

"Please, A-game? Try C-game. You're average at best." JJ scoffed, noting that while she could pull this little bet off, it wasn't going to be a walk in the park. Even as the rumors kept spreading about JJ and Morgan being secretly married, it hadn't stopped many of the other women from taking note of Morgan and showing interest. If they had been married, JJ would have been furious.

"Just you wait and see how average I am. Maybe it will give you something to talk about with Hotch." Morgan taunted. "Shall we go?" He extended his arm, which JJ took begrudgingly. It would be a miracle if the _entire_ Academy class didn't think they were a couple after today.

* * *

As the pair reached the reception area, JJ turned on her game face. She had a plan--no one ever could win without one. All JJ needed to do was find a decent guy who hadn't been snatched up and do the old eyelash bat. In her experiance, batting the eyelashes followed by a shy smile was 93.2% effective in encouraging men to approach her. Her stomach churned as she saw the crowd standing there, while always popular, JJ had never considered herself particularly social. This was a bit out of her element.

"What's the matter? Afraid you won't be able to beat me?" Morgan teased. Noticing Hotch in the corner, he whispered, "Oh look, your lover boy is here."

"He's not my anything." JJ grumbled, silently adding, _not that I would mind if he was._

"Whatever you say, hot stuff. Now are you ready to start this game or are you going to back out early?"

"One thing you need to learn about me, I never back down from a challenge" JJ informed, releasing his arm and making her way over towards a small group of guys who had been watching her for the past few moments.

Derek watched out of the corner of his eye as JJ flirted with the various other trainees in the session. Seeing her apparent success, he decided to step up his game further--he wasn't about to lose.

* * *

**A/N 2: So was this everything you wanted it to be or was it utterly horrible? Let us know in a review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: We don't own Criminal Minds.**

**Chapter 3**

Derek Morgan couldn't contain his energy any longer. He had been awake for almost half an hour waiting for his blonde roommate to wake up. Since she still hadn't, he decided to take measures into his own hands. Walking up to the side of her bed stealthfully, he waited until he was sure that she was still asleep before pouncing on her bed and quickly beginning to tickle her mercilessly. Growing up with two sisters had definitely helped him become a devious tormenter.

"DEREK!" She screamed as she came fully awake. "Get off me!" She cried.

"Only if you promise to get up." Derek bargained, smiling heavily.

"Fine." JJ grumbled, clearly not a morning person, "What time is it?"

"Just before 7am." Morgan answered innocently, letting her go and sitting on his own bed. "Don't forget you have to talk to Agent Loverboy today before class."

JJ groaned angrily, "you only beat me by three minutes!" She whined.

"Three glorious minutes that separate glory from defeat." Morgan gloated. "Three minutes that separates the weak from the strong. Three minutes that--"

"Three minutes that you only got because you threatened half of the recruits with an inch of their life if they talked to me." JJ interrupted angrily, tossing a pillow in his general direction as she collapsed back on the bed.

"And if I could have gotten to the other half, you would have lost by more than three minutes." He smiled charmingly, easily dodging the pillow.

"So you'd like to think." JJ retorted, burrowing back under the covers, momentarily forgetting the bargain she made with Morgan.

"What was that?" Morgan grinned as he approached her bed once more, "Because I distinctly remember you telling all of the _female_ recruits that we were married, and that didn't stop me from beating you by three minutes."

She poked her head out from her nest and stuck her tongue out at him. "I hate you."

"Hate and love are so close, JJ." He reminded her, "but if you don't get up, I'm going to have to come up with more creative ways to entice you out of bed. I have a lot of experience enticing women into bed, but I like a good challenge, and I'm sure I can figure a way to get you _out _of bed."

"I'm up, I'm up." JJ grumbled, "Can you _please _find something that resembles coffee while I take a shower?"

"Sure Miss Thing" Morgan laughed as he slipped on his shoes, "I saw a coffee machine at the end of the hall, I'll be right back."

* * *

"I could just wait until after class to talk to him" JJ mused, hoping that her new roommate would forget their deal, "I mean he looks busy, I'll just wait."

"_JJ"_ Morgan sighed, pushing her into the sparsely crowded classroom--they were a good fifteen minutes early. "He's not busy, he's just looking over his notes for class today. You lost the bet, and now you have to live up to your end of the bargain."

JJ just glared at her roommate who smirked happily, "Or are you scared?" He teased.

"I am _not_ scared." She stepped forward, immediately regretting it because it meant she had to make a decision. Deciding that she couldn't go back to her roommate until she had talked to the handsome tall agent. Walking up to him, she tried to come up with something to say, instead reaching him before a decision could be made. She stuck out her hand and said simply, "hi."

He looked up, surprised that his preparation time was being cut short. She could see the flash of recognition in his eyes as he smiled slightly at her, "hi." He replied, shaking her hand firmly.

Making up her mind to take the safe route with the conversation, JJ added, "I know people probably ask you this all the time, but I'm really interested in the BAU and I know that your unit just added a communications coordinator, so I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about it after class sometime?"

"What was your major in college?" Hotch asked conversationally, gathering the stack of notes he had been going over.

"I've got my Bachelor's in communications and my Master's in public relations--both from Georgetown." JJ informed, stepping closer to him as another trainee slipped behind her to take a seat in the front.

"I went to Georgetown, I got my law degree there." Hotch said, slightly profiling her, unable to stop himself. Deciding that he would not be wasting his time by talking to her about the BAU, he answered her previous question. "Come see me after class and I'll answer any questions you have about the BAU as long as I don't get called away on a case."

"Okay, see you after class." JJ smiled, quickly turning and heading to her seat next to Morgan in the back of the class.

* * *

At the conclusion of the captivating first class, JJ approached the handsome agent once more.

"Agent Jareau, if you can come back to the BAU with me, I can answer your questions there." He said kindly as he gathered his things. "Unless you have another class?"

"Actually my next class isn't until after lunch" JJ informed, following him out of the classroom, but not before catching Morgan's knowing smirk, _I'll deal with him later._

"So what made you want to join the Bureau?" Hotch asked as they walked the short distance to his desk at the BAU.

"What makes you think I have a reason?" JJ asked, her usual habit for always questioning things seeping into thier conversation, "Maybe I just like carrying a gun."

"Everyone has a reason, Agent Jareau." Hotch informed as they entered the BAU bullpen through the new glass doors that had just been installed, "And you could carry a gun without joining the FBI, that's not a valid answer."

"I just wanted to help people." JJ admitted, not wanting to tell him her real reason for joining the Bureau.

"Again, you could have done that without joining the FBI." Hotch pointed out once more.

"I heard that you are transferring to Seattle soon." JJ tried to deflect the conversation away from talking about herself.

"Yeah, my wife and I decided that Seattle would be a good move for us." Hotch said as he pulled up a chair for her to sit down.

"Your wife?" JJ questioned, keeping the shock out of her voice. She had not seen a wedding ring, and if she had known he wasn't available, she wouldn't have even considered the idea of this little crush.

"Yeah, we've been married for two years." He smiled, handing her a picture.

"But it took him almost seven to work up the courage to ask her." A female voice said from behind. "And the another five to set a date for the wedding."

"Hailey!" Hotch smiled, "this is Agent Jareau, she's a new recruit."

"Is this the new Media Coordinator you told me about?" Hailey asked, holding a hand out for JJ to shake. "I'm Hailey Hotchner, it's nice to meet you."

"I wish, but you know how it goes--they make you go through the Academy first." JJ answered Hailey's first question, standing up to shake the woman's hand, "And everyone calls me JJ, it's nice to meet you too. Listen, Agent Hotchner, I'm really sorry, but I forgot that I have PT training at 11am. Maybe we can talk about the BAU after class another time?"

"Oh, sure." Hotch answered, taking in the facade JJ had put up, "I'll see you in class tomorrow Agent Jareau."

"I really am sorry, I guess I just got caught up with everything and forgot" JJ apologized, glad that she had her "press face" on so they couldn't see how she was really feeling at learning Hotch was married. "It was very nice to meet you Hailey, maybe I'll see you around next time I'm in the BAU."

As JJ walked quickly away from Hotch's office, a breathless Morgan caught up with her. "Hey baby girl, I've been waiting all morning. How'd it go?" The antagonist taunted.

"Married." JJ mumbled to herself.

"Huh? Seriously, you and him hooking up later, or was that just a waste of time?" Morgan laughed.

"Waste of time." JJ growled. "Morgan, the man is married. MARRIED! Like has taken vows married. Has been for two years."

Morgan groaned. "Ouch, that bites. I thought women were supposed to be able to pick up on that sort of thing." He mused.

"Apparently not, because I just flirted with a married man--not that he was flirting back. He is far too classy for adultery with a recruit." JJ informed angrily.

"Doesn't seem like you'd be against it." Morgan muttered under his breath.

JJ smacked him--hard--on the arm. "I grew up around the Amish, do you have any idea what you are saying?"

"Apparently not" Morgan conceded, "So listen, I heard from one of the other recruits that they're going to let us leave the Academy Friday night as long as we all make it back for the first PT test on Saturday morning, so a few of the guys and I were going to go into town and see what we can find--wanna come with?"

"Any chance we can go tonight?" JJ grumbled, "I'm in need of a stiff drink after what I just did. But yeah, count me in for Friday, maybe meeting some of the other recruits will help me get him off my mind."

"This is worse than I thought" Morgan mumbled, "Let's go get lunch, maybe I can sweet talk one of the lunch ladies into getting us some alcohol for later."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: We don't own Criminal Minds.**

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait, we're both on vacation—I'm in DC and kdzl's at her sister's—so sorry this has taken so long to be posted, but the next one will definitely be up ASAP and we've got a few new stories we're working on. :) Hope you all like this!**

**Chapter 4**

"Ready." JJ saw Morgan smirk in her direction. It was only the third day of training, and he was starting to drive her insane. He was always competing with her, and the firearms instruction didn't seem to be any different.

"Aim." JJ ignored Morgan's smug look, intent on focusing on what the instructor had advised.

"Fire." Derek Morgan fired quickly, sure that he would be the best in the class. He was, after all, a former CPD officer, and he had bested most of his colleagues in Chicago at the firing range. He didn't anticipate this would be any different.

"Weapons down!" The instructor yelled, "Targets coming your way, I'll be coming by to check your accuracy."

Pulling his target sheet down from the holder as it got closer to him, Morgan smirked when he noticed that he did, in fact, hit the target just above the heart--the perfect kill shot. Removing his protective earmuffs, he made his way to stand next to JJ, "So, how did you do? You know it's okay if you didn't do very good, I mean today's only the first day."

JJ laughed at his words, maybe she should have told him that she was a crack shot? She always had been able to hit the target straight on, ever since she was in high school and her boyfriend at the time had taken her to the firing range at the local police academy and taught her how to shoot. "Silly boy, I don't miss." JJ informed, showing him her target sheet, a sheet that matched his perfectly.

"What? How? There's no way you could have done this on your first try." Morgan prompted incredulously, "Are you sure this is even your sheet? Maybe you grabbed the wrong one."

"Just admit it, Derek, I am just as good of a shot as you are." JJ smirked, trying not to notice that the person she was currently trying to forget---Aaron Hotchner--had just come out to the gun range with another member of the BAU to practice. "I've been a crack shot since I was 15, my boyfriend at the time was the Police Chief's son so he took me to the Philadephia Police Academy to teach me how to shoot--poor guy considered it a date, but I think it pissed him off that I was a better shot than he was."

"It'd piss me off if a girl was a better shot than me." Morgan grumbled, not wanting to admit that he had practiced earlier that day before the other recruits, telling JJ that he was going for a run.

"Yeah, and if gender mattered in shooting a gun, then I might care. But I don't." JJ smiled, grateful that Morgan had not beaten her at weapons training.

* * *

"I should probably tell you that I have a black belt in Judo" Morgan informed as he and JJ took their places on the mat and waited for the instructor to show the class the first lesson. "I got it while I was in law school because I felt like I needed to do something to keep in shape because I wasn't playing football anymore."

JJ rolled her eyes silently, knowing that she had bested several people in self defense classes in her college days herself.

"I need two volunteers to participate in a match against each other." The instructor announced.

"JJ and I will do it." Morgan volunteered them, smiling as JJ glared at him.

"Good, you too come up here and stand on the mat." The instructor--SSA Carmichael--informed, positioning the two roommates facing opposite each other on the mat. "Okay, first we're going to learn simple defensive strategies. A person's throat is a highly sensitive area, and it's extremely vulnerable to damage. Not only is the voice box located in this region, but the jugular as well--which supplies blood and oxygen to the brain. Can anyone tell me what happens if your brain is suddenly deprived of oxygen?"

"You pass out, sir." A recruit from the back of the small group offered.

"Exactly. Okay, Agent Morgan, I want you to place your arm around Agent Jareau's neck and make sure that the bend of your elbow rests directly in the center." SSA Carmichael instructed, watching as Morgan and JJ followed his instructions quickly, "Now Agent Jareau, I want you to tap on his arm as soon as you start to feel light headed and he'll release you--okay?"

JJ and Morgan both nodded in understanding, "Okay, Agent Morgan I want you to flex your arm slightly."

Morgan did as the instructor asked, and within seconds he felt JJ tap on his arm. Letting her go, they both waited for the instructor to continue. "Good job guys. So now you see how quickly you could take down someone if that specific situation arises. Any questions?"

Seeing that the class had no questions, the instructor turned to the two volunteers, "now, I assume that you've both had self-defense training prior to this," both JJ and Morgan nodded and SSA Carmichael smiled approvingly, "why don't we see how well you match up against each other. First person to get the other flat on the mat wins."

JJ smirked to herself, there was no way she was going to let Morgan beat her. Taking a defensive stance, she eyed Morgan warily. "Are you ready to be taken down, Agent Morgan?" JJ taunted quietly, knowing from her soccer days that it was as much about how you played as your opponents mind frame during the match.

JJ couldn't help but notice Aaron Hotchner walk cautiously into the room. She had heard that various departments would come in to observe the training agents, so while his presence came as no surprise, she definitely had more incentive to beat Morgan in this match.

"On three." SSA Carmichael instructed, "One. Two. Three"

She didn't know how it happened. One minute she was looking at Morgan, the next she glanced at Aaron Hotchner and found herself lying on her back. "What was that about you taking me down?" Morgan asked chuckling as he offered a hand to help her up.

JJ scowled as she swatted away his outstretched hand. "I got distracted. It won't happen again."

"Whatever you say short stuff." Morgan laughed.

* * *

"Agent Tony Lancaster? What about him? He has a master's in Clinical Psychology from South Carolina State and three years on the job as a Victim's Specialist with the Columbia PD." Katie Cole asked. The entire BAU team was without a case at the moment so they were all seated in the conference room looking over the files of potential BAU members.

"No." Gideon vetoed, "He won't be able to disassociate from the victim's enough to give an unbiased profile."

"Hotch, which two did you say you liked?" Rossi asked, taking a sip of his coffee. "Agent Morgan and Agent--?"

"Jareau. Katie has their files."

"Okay so Jennifer Jareau first. She has her Master's in Public Relations from Georgetown, she interned with the Washington Post and CNN during her undergraduate work, and according to her test results so far here at the Academy she has excelled in everything she's done--even down at the shooting range, and you know they never over sell the trainees abilities down there. According to the instructors, this Agent Jareau hit the bull's-eye every time--she's a crack shot."

"She talked with me about the open liaison position." Hotch informed the group.

"We don't normally take young recruits for such a high position. Normally we have the junior agents--" David Rossi began to remind him.

"I know, but I think she has the potential to be exactly what we need." Hotch interrupted defending the blonde recruit he had met.

Gideon looked thoughtful at the file that Katie handed him. "I agree with Hotch, she looks like she has real potential."

"What about this Agent Morgan?" Rossi asked. It wasn't that he disagreed with Hotch, the unit typically assigned junior agents to desk work before submerging them in the death and destruction that they saw daily.

"He spent five years with Chicago PD where he worked undercover for a year and a half to bring down a large narcotics ring." Katie explained as she read through the file, "got his JD from Northwestern. Has Bomb Squad experience."

"We need someone with bomb squad expertise, especially now when it seems like every case we've had lately has been a bomber or an arsonist." Hotch mused, "It would save us from having to call down the lab so often if we had someone in the unit who knew about bombs and how they work."

"I agree." Rossi nodded, "We do need someone with bomb squad experience, and his local PD experience could help smooth things over some on cases where the locals don't really want our help too much--he'll be able to relate to them better than we can."

"Keep a close eye on them." Rossi informed Hotch briskly. He wouldn't even have to start looking for replacements if the entire BAU wasn't changing out in the next few years. Following his imminent retirement, Gideon was planning on taking over, but Hotch had accepted a promotion to Seattle and Katie had simultaneously accepted a promotion to the Crimes Against Children Unit. That left the unit he had created with just Agent Marks, Agent Scoffield--whom Rossi had never particularly liked and Gideon. Even this open _liaison_ position was a joke in his opinion--something that the Bureau had created to try to create more work for him to do.

"I just got a call from Seattle PD, they want our help on a case, so we'll start that briefing in five."


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: We don't own Criminal minds.**

**A/N: Sorry this has taken so long to get finished…we hope you like it! **

**  
Chapter 5**

"Derek Morgan I'm going to kill you! I can't believe I let you talk me into wearing this!" JJ huffed as they exited the Metro in search of Fado's Pub where they were meeting the rest of the trainee's that were going out with them. "I feel naked, let me wear your coat!"

"No, JJ, you look hot. I promise." Morgan reassured, but not without failing to notice that his roommate did, in fact, look extremely hot in the outfit of skinny jeans and a black sequined tank that he had forced her to buy earlier in the night. "But if you--" he started, stoping when the loud scream of an angry woman reached his ears.

_"Aaron stop it! You've been like this all day, what's wrong with you!" Hailey screamed._

"Oh my God, I can't be here now." JJ reacted knowing just exactly who it was they were hearing fighting around the corner--which just happened to be directly in front on the bar they were headed to.

"What? Why?" Morgan questioned, practically pulling JJ around the corner, "It's just some lady being a drama queen, you won't even be able to hear them once we're inside. C'mon."

"No, it's not that." JJ started, only to round the corner and find the other guys waiting outside the bar for them. "Why couldn't they wait inside? I mean I really, really don't want to be around and watch Hotch fight with his wife."

Morgan nodded, understanding. If he had known that the profiler was married, he never would have encouraged his roommate to acknowledge her attraction. "Don't worry about it, I've got your back." He said, placing his arm protectively around her.

JJ tried to avoid watching Hotch as she and Morgan greeted some of the other guys but she could feel his eyes on her as the group pretended to ignore Hailey's tirade. Morgan shot a warning glare at the older agent before the group entered the bar.

JJ's hope that by entering the bar, she would avoid the rest of the couple's argument was quickly crushed as she heard Hailey screech "Are you even listening to me? I saw the way you looked at her, you're having an affair, aren't you?"

"Hailey, please. Let's handle this somewhere else, you're being ridiculous." They overheard Hotch say quietly.

"Excuse me?! Well if I'm being ridiculous then why don't you just stay with Dave tonight, that way you don't have to be around me and my pettiness!" Hailey yelled, loud enough that people were starting to stare, "I'm sorry, I forgot that Saint Aaron could do no wrong. Excuse me! You know what Aaron? Don't come home tonight."

"Hailey..wait. What are you saying?" Hotch asked, trying to keep his anger in check. _Was she seriously kicking him out?_

"You heard me." Hailey sneered, turning on her heel and calling a cab.

Hotch stood there, mouth wide with confusion. JJ normally wouldn't go up to him, she had her rules and very rarely crossed them, but this wasn't about her attraction. This was about her inability to watch someone hurt and do nothing.

As Morgan watched the blonde stand up, he groaned. While he was all for JJ finding someone, this guy was married. If she fawned over him, he'd allow it, but the second there was a sign that Agent Hotchner thought about hurting JJ, Derek Morgan would be committing murder.

"You alright?" JJ asked, standing next to him.

"Agent Jareau." Hotch said, turning to her. "Are you married?"

"No." JJ answered and tried to lighten the mood, "Not for lack of trying."

"Let me give you a piece of free advice, marriage is hard." Hotch admitted, standing in the wake of the catastrophe Hailey often caused on him.

"So I've heard." JJ laughed. "I'm sure she'll come around."

"I'm not." Hotch said quietly. "But don't worry about me, you can go back to your friends."

"That's alright. I don't think I make a very good wing man." JJ smiled, internally reminding herself that Hotch was married, she shouldn't be feeling like this. "Morgan can handle it on his own for a minute, unless you want to come have a drink with us?"

"I don't know..." Hotch started, but JJ cut him off.

"Listen, it's one drink. That's all. No harm, no foul." JJ informed, pushing a lose piece of hair behind her ear. "But can you make a decision soon because me feet are killing me in these shoes Morgan made me buy earlier."

"Made you?"

"It's a long story." JJ groaned, not wanting to relive the hour she and Derek had spent fighting over shoes earlier in the afternoon. Pointing towards the door of the bar, JJ asked "So are you coming in or what?"

Thinking for a second, Hotch decided to do something spontaneous for once in his life. "You know what? I think I'll take that drink. Let's go back inside, Hailey needs time to cool off anyways."

As JJ and Hotch meandered toward the group, Morgan's smug smile melted from his face. What did JJ think she was doing?

The pair sat down with the crowd of recruits, most star struck at the prospect of being around SSA Aaron Hotchner, everyone knew of his success in the Bureau and wanted to learn all of the tips they could from the legendary Agents. Everyone, except Morgan, who sat with arms folded, glaring slightly. This guy was going to take JJ for a ride and JJ was going to let him, Morgan couldn't believe it. If he had known what encouraging JJ's crush would turn into, he would have never done so.

JJ caught onto Morgan's irritation after a frigid silence befell the group. Someone had told a joke a Morgan's expense and he hadn't even flinched. She tried to get him to look at her in the eyes, but he avoided her glances. Hotch looked at her in confusion, he had heard that Morgan was a very social and likeable person, but none of that was being portrayed that he could see. Finally, he turned to her.

"Is he ok?" Hotch asked tentatively.

"I don't know." JJ answered honestly. "I've never seen him like this."

"Maybe you should go talk to him." Hotch encouraged as JJ nodded in agreement.

"Morgan, do you want to come with me to grab another drink?" JJ called over after a moment, sipping the remnants of the margarita she had been drinking.

"If you want me to." Morgan mumbled, getting up from his seat and following JJ to the bar.

Once they were out of earshot of the others, JJ turned to face him. "Derek, what is up with you tonight? You're not acting like yourself."

"You're all over him." Morgan said grumpily. He wasn't about to let his friend get hurt over some schlup that was already married.

"No, I'm not. Why do you even care?" JJ asked angrily, "are you jealous?"

"Of course not!" Morgan cried incredulously.

"Then what's going on here Derek?" JJ asked, trying to understand why he was acting this way. "I don't understand."

"I just don't want to see you get hurt." Morgan lied, in truth seeing JJ with Hotch made him incredibly jealous, scaring him a little.

JJ felt herself soften at his admission, "Thanks for looking out for me, but I'll be okay."

"What if you won't be?" He shook his head. "JJ, your falling for a married man who has no intention on leaving his wife. Your asking to get stepped on."

"I'm not asking for anything. I'm just being nice." JJ defended kindly, touched that Morgan seemed to care about her. Maybe her current living arrangement wasn't so bad after all. "You'd do the same thing."

"No I wouldn't. I'm a dude, that wouldn't be cool." Morgan retorted.

JJ smacked him lightly. "You know what I meant."

Morgan smiled to himself, suddenly growing silent.

"What?" JJ said after a moment.

"Do you want to get out of here?" He said, finally speaking aloud the words that had infested his mind.

"Agent Hotchner is waiting for me." JJ declined, surprising herself at how badly she wanted to leave with him. She was worried at what was going on in that little brain of hers, the last thing she could do was get interested in Derek Morgan.

"Hotch is a grown man, I think he can manage without you." Morgan prodded. "C'mon...let's go for a walk or something."

Feeling her resolve crumble, JJ glanced over in Hotch's direction to find him completely enmeshed in a conversation with two other recruits. "You know what? I could use some fresh air." JJ informed, "Just let me tell him we're leaving, okay?"

"Sure" Morgan nodded, following her through the bar until they reached Hotch. Waiting patiently while she informed the other man she was leaving, Morgan noticed the small amount of disappointment in Hotch's almost unreadable eyes.

After saying her goodbyes to everyone, JJ made her way back over to where Morgan stood waiting patiently a few feet away. Taking a small risk, JJ lightly grabbed his hand, tugging him towards the door, "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Morgan smiled, allowing her to lead him from the bar out into the warm summer night that had enveloped Washington DC.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: We don't own Criminal Minds.**

**A/N: SORRY this has taken so long! The only excuses we have are finals and a lack of ideas, but don't worry this story will always be updated—even its a few weeks in between postings. Anyways, here's the next chapter. We hope you like it!**

**Chapter 6**

As JJ felt the cool summer breeze surround her skin, she reveled in how things had changed tonight. If when she had known when she had made the bet, that she would, by choice, be enjoying a night with Morgan, she would have thought herself crazy. But that didn't change the fact that she felt more at home than she had for a long time. In her time in DC, she had never really given herself the time to look around. This was her first time being a tourist in the city that she considered home.

As the pair walked past the Washington Memorial, JJ's mouth fell agape.

"It's really something." Morgan surmised, glad to see that JJ was enjoying herself.

"Especially at night." JJ agreed. She let her hand dangle awkwardly. If Morgan wanted to hold it, that step was up to him, but she would enable him in every way. "They sure don't have things like this back in Pennsylvania."

"Same with Chicago." Morgan laughed.

"Whatever, you've got the Sears Tower and Oprah." JJ retorted. "I'll be lucky if we get a bowling alley in the next decade."

"You can take Oprah back to Pennsylvania with you" Morgan shrugged, his hand finding JJ's and threading their fingers together, "She's gets on my last nerve."

"Aww you poor baby." JJ teased, smiling at the sight of thier hands joined together. Before she could respond further, her stomach growled loudly--and embarrassingly. "Oh wow. Sorry." JJ whispered, a horrified look on her face.

Laughing Morgan responded, "How do you feel about pancakes?"

"Pancakes? Talk about random." JJ mumbled, "Why pancakes?"

"There's a diner up a head." Morgan said, pulling her along with him. "And I'm starving."

"You know, I really don't know how I feel about eating pancakes at midnight." JJ laughed. "Call me back woods, but where I come from, we eat those for breakfast."

"Oh JJ, you've got so much to learn." He chuckled, leading her to a small booth in the back of the diner.

"And I'm sure you are more than willing to teach me." JJ teased, laughing quietly as she took her seat across from Derek.

A young waitress bustled over soon afterwards, her eyes nearly glazed over in boredom due to the lack of customers in the middle of the night. "Hey guys, I'm Sarah. What can I get you?" the young woman asked calmly, a small Southern drawl seeping into her words.

"We'll have two orders of pancakes and two coffee's." Morgan answered, smiling at the woman as she scribbled the order down on her pad.

"Okay, It'll be out in a second, it's not like we're all that busy." Sarah informed, laughing slightly at her own words before heading off towards the kitchen.

"She seems to like you." JJ noted, her stomach slightly churning with jealousy. Hours ago, she would have said that she had no claim on the man sitting across from her, and now, she felt like he was hers. She tried to control these new found feelings of possessiveness, but it was hard to do.

"She's just a waitress." Morgan shrugged, not understanding the suddenly dampened mood of his new interest. "I may be a player, but I've got better class than that."

"Than what?" JJ asked, feigning innocence.

"Than trying to pickup the girl while I am here with you." Morgan elaborated, though he knew she already understood.

"Oh." JJ said, a smile perking upon her face. "I never thought---"

"Here ya'll go." Sarah said as she approached the table with two large cups of coffee. "Your pancakes should be here any minute."

Taking a sip of her coffee to slow the fluttering butterflies in her stomach, JJ decided she wanted to get to know Derek better. "So Derek, tell me about your family."

"Why the sudden interest in my mom and my sisters?" Morgan asked, completely confused on how they suddenly got on the topic of his family.

"Because I want to understand you, and your family is a big part of who you are." JJ smiled, "Don't think I don't know you call your mom and both sisters when you think I'm in the shower or asleep where I can't hear you."

"This from the girl who calls her sister-in-law on an hourly basis, except when she's asleep." Morgan teased, and laughed when JJ swatted his arm from across the table. "Okay, okay, so you really want to know?"

"Yep" JJ answered quickly as the waitress returned and quietly placed the pancakes on the table in front of them.

Nodding his thanks at the waitress, Morgan took a bite of pancakes before beginning. "I'll tell you whatever you want, but when I'm done you have to answer my questions too. Deal?"

"Deal." JJ smirked, taking a small bite of her own over sized portion of buttermilk pancakes. "Now on with the story."

"Someone's bossy, but you know I like it." Morgan teased, laughing at the small glare JJ shot him. "Alright, okay. I'm starting now. I should probably tell you that I'm the baby of the family, Sarah and Desiree are both older, but just barely. Sarah was born three years before I was, and then Desiree was born a year after Sarah, and then me."

"Figures you're the baby of the family." JJ smiled, "I'm number four out of the five Jareau children. Three older brothers, and one younger one who just turned seventeen. Jamie, Jared, Jacob, Jennifer, and Josh. We have this thing for 'J' names in my family. The sister in law who you say I call _all _the time is Jared's wife Jessica. They have twin daughters named Jane and Jenna."

"Are you the only one that goes by JJ? 'Cause if not, that could lead to some massive confusion." Morgan taunted, though his paste on smile caused his teasing to lose all of its merit.

"No, I am the only JJ in my family, though Jane tried it for a bit and it didn't work out." JJ admitted, sipping her coffee and enjoying the pleasant moment between them.

"Makes sense, you've got to be a pain to pull off JJ. She probably doesn't have it in her." Morgan mused, dodging the Splenda packet that JJ lobbed at him.

"Why, oh why, do I put up with you?" JJ chuckled, tossing her golden hair off of her shoulder. This action did not go unnoticed by Morgan, who was more than a little grateful for the events that had changed this evening entirely.

"Because you like my body." Morgan joked, as JJ threw her head back in laughter.

"True." She smiled, always loving Morgan's confident, bordering on cocky attitude. It was nice to be around someone who was sure of themselves for a change. While JJ didn't admit it, she was often self doubting and lacked the faith in her capabilities to make it through the day without the compliments of others, it was nice to have someone who contrasted her in that effect. Someone who knew their strengths and wasn't afraid to admit them.

"So you do like my body! Ha, I knew it!" Morgan cackled in triumph, arms thrown so enthusiastically that they nearly knocked over his coffee mug. "All this time you've acted as though you didn't even notice, but I knew the truth. I knew you liked what you saw."

"Don't let it go to your head there" JJ laughed, knowing her comment was futile. After taking a few more large bites of her pancakes, she pushed the plate away. "I don't think I've ever been so full in my life."

"That's because you have a stomach the size of a grape" Morgan commented, pointing towards her still half full plate. "You barely eat enough to sustain life."

"You're only saying that because you've never seen me in a pizza buffet" JJ informed, her right hand resting on her stomach softly. "Next time we'll go to some local pizza place and I'll show you how it's done, but for now I think if I even see a pancake right now I might be sick--that's how full I am."

"That full, huh?" Morgan laughed as the waitress took their plates and left the check on the table. Placing a twenty on the table, they headed back out into the calm, cool night that had overtaken DC. "So what do you want to do next?" Morgan asked, this time not hesitating before taking her small hand inside his own.

"Umm..." JJ stalled, looking around trying to establish exactly where they were. "Hey isn't Potomac Park near here?"

"Yeah, it's a few blocks east. Why?"

"Let's go there." JJ suggested, her mind easily remembering the quiet grassy banks that overlooked the lake--the perfect place for him to make a move if he was ever going to.

"Okay"


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: We don't own Criminal Minds.**

**A/N: Here's the last chapter! Thanks for reading!**

Continuing to walk towards the perfect spot on the Potomac River, JJ noticed something in the distance. "Derek are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

Looking up, he saw the man and struggling woman up ahead as well, "What the hell?! Get the hell away from her!" he yelled, running towards the man who seemed to be strangling a woman.

Suddenly, though it had only been a few weeks in FBI training, the things they had been taught came naturally. Morgan quickly attacked the strangler, separating him from the victim as fast as he could. JJ rushed immediately to the woman now gasping for air.

"Are you okay?" JJ asked once the woman had calmed slightly from her semi-hysterical state.

The woman simply nodded and JJ quickly pulled out her phone to quickly alert the police who were on the scene within minutes.

"So tell me again how two FBI trainee's managed to stumble on the District Strangler?" The lead detective said suspiciously. "It looks mighty suspicious to me that you just happen to show up as he's murdering his seventh victim and are easily able to subdue him like you claim to have done."

"We were just walking by..." JJ sighed, they had already recounted their story twice and it was obvious that this detective just wanted to rag on them for being Federal. Noticing Hotch walking over, she continued, "Look, he's FBI with the BAU and we were with him earlier tonight. You can talk to him if you have any more questions for us."

"Agents Jareau and Morgan." Hotch greeted the new recruits with something closely resembling a smile. "This case has been under investigation for a while. I commend you on your quick action."

"I still don't get how you just _happen_ to be at the right place at the right time." The detective said, not bothering to hide his contempt at the young agents.

"It's easy detective." Rossi said quickly as he came up from behind Hotch, "If you were to spend more of your time doing your job, and less time questioning a good arrest, you might be in the right place sometime too."

With that, the detective huffed away. At the retreating figure, Rossi mused "I bet that guy has always wanted to be in the Bureau. If we were to look at his files, we'd find that he failed the exam several times over."

"His record will probably have notations of insubordination." Hotch added. "Not to mention he probably isn't married, or if he is he regards his wife in a low point of view, possibly not allowing her to seek work outside the home."

"Right, well that's all well and good sir" Morgan interrupted, "But we really need to be getting back to the dorm if there isn't anything else we need to take care of."

"My apologies" Rossi offered, "There is one last thing my unit and I would like to request of you."

"Okay" JJ nodded tiredly, a small yawn escaping her lips.

"We'd like to offer a standing invitation to join out unit at any time while you are in the FBI, but preferably when you graduate from the Academy." Rossi stated.

The two younger agents looked on at him in shock. The BAU was _the_ most prestigious unit in the FBI. To have a standing invitation to join was like winning the Golden Ticket.

"I'd be honored." JJ said, after a moment's hesitation.

"I'd have to think about it." Morgan said, slightly surprising both himself and the others. "If I were to join the BAU, I'd want to do it as a profiler."

Hotch raised his eyebrow in surprise, most people in the FBI _did_ want to become profilers, but the younger man's admission had surprised him. "Well, the offer still stands, regardless." Rossi smiled warmly.


End file.
